The curing of monomeric materials to produce thermoset resins is well known in the art. In general, the polymerizable monomers have at least one and customarily more than one reacting group which serves as a site for the curing or crosslinking polymerization to produce the cured products which are typically highly crosslinked and insoluble solids. There are some polymerizable monomeric materials wherein the active sites are such that the monomer will cure on application of energy, e.g., heat or high intensity UV light. In many if not most cases, however, a curing agent is necessary to allow the crosslinking reaction to proceed at an acceptable rate. The curing agents are catalytic or are stoichiometric relative to the resin to be crosslinked. The stoichiometric curing agents, i.e., agents which are employed in substantial quantity relative to the quantity of the resin, are the more commonly used and are typically multi-functional polymerizable compounds having a plurality of reactive groups capable of participating in crosslinking reactions. A mixture of the resin and a curing agent, generally referred to as a thermosetting resin composition, is then cured by application of heat, with or without the presence of an accelerator which may be added to obtain a more acceptable rate.
Thermoset resins containing arylcyclobutene moieties, especially benzocyclobutene moieties, are known in the art. A series of U.S. patents to Kirchhoff, of which U.S. No. 4,540,763 is illustrative, describes the production and curing of a large number of benzocyclobutene derivatives wherein the benzocyclobutene moieties are connected by linking groups attached directly to a carbon atom of the six-membered ring. A U.S. patent to Tan et al., U.S. No. 4,675,370, describes benzocyclobutene derivatives in which the six-membered ring of the benzocyclobutene ring is attached to a substituent having an acetylenic group. A related patent series of Wong, of which 4,687,815 is illustrative, discloses alkenyl-substituted benzocyclobutene derivatives. A Research Disclosure, source unknown, discloses benzocyclobutenes in which the six-membered ring is attached to a polyvalent organic or inorganic group which is preferably hydrocarbon or contains silicon, nitrogen or oxygen heterocyclic moieties. A somewhat different type of benzocyclobutene ether derivative is disclosed and claimed in copending U.S. patent appplication Ser. No. 349,546, filed May 9, 1989, directed to benzocyclobutenealkyl ethers of bis(hydroxyphenyl)alkanes. These ethers have an alkylene group attached to the six-membered ring of the benzocyclobutene ring system and through the ether oxygen is attached to the phenyl group of the bis(hydroxyphenyl)alkane. Benzocyclobutenealkyl ethers of a 1,6-diaza[4,4]spirodilactam having hydroxyaryl-containing substituents on the spiro ring nitrogen atoms are within the scope of copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 324,872, filed Mar. 17, 1989. Other ethers of this spirodilactam are disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 245,433, filed Sept. 16, 1988 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,388. Alkenyl and alkynyl ethers, e.g., allyl or propargyl ethers, of 1,6-di(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,6-diazaspiro[4.4]nonane-2,7-dione are illustrative and are disclosed as being curable.
It would be of advantage, however, to provide novel thermosetting resin compositions wherein a multiplicity of differing cyclic structures are present.